Do You Suffer From Sore Wrists When Doing Bench Press?

A common injury when doing a lot of heavy pressing, such as bench and military press, is a sprained wrist. This is due to the extra flex-ion or hyper extension that happens to the wrist when under a heavy load. This usually occurs on days when the trainer is working their shoulders or chest muscles.

There are three ways to prevent yourself from suffering from a sprained wrist. For the purpose of this article I will be using the bench press as the example exercise.

The first, is simply to warm up. The purpose of a warm up is to get the blood pumping and the muscles, joints, ligaments and tendons ready for exercise. So many trainers walk into the gym and start off lifting moderate to heavy loads without a thought of warming up.

A warm up is very important and only takes 5-10 minutes. I should also note that dynamic stretches are more beneficial than static stretches.

Secondly, when performing a lot of pressing movements trainers tend to concentrate more on just making sure they can lift the weight, opposed to lightening the load, having better technique and feeling your muscle work. For example how many people have you seen doing bench press with their wrists bent right back (hyper extended). After performing rep after rep of a bench with a bent backward wrist there is no wonder why they have a mildly sprained wrist. When you do heavy pressing movements concentrate on keeping your wrist straight, (I like to use the phrase to keep the wrist 'rock solid'.) Doing this will decrease the chance of a sprained wrist from having your wrist at an awkward angle.

If your wrist is still sore even after keeping it straight then you may need to use some wrist wraps. Wrist wraps are elastic and wrap around the wrist and prevent it from flexing and extending. In other words wrist wraps keep your wrist in a straight 'rock solid' position. The use of wrist wraps will prevent your wrist from flexing or hyper extending to the point of injury.

Wrist wraps are a really great invention and, depending on your training regime could be useful for you, especially if you consistently train with heavy weights.

It is very important that you stretch out the muscles you have been working. When lifting you are constantly contracting your muscles and they become tighter and tighter. If you are doing a lot of heavy pulling movements your forearms can become extremely tight resulting in a muscular imbalance in the forearm muscles. This can also be a factor in wrist injuries while performing heavy lifting.

In conclusion if you are constantly lifting heavy weights the smaller joints, such as the wrists, can attain an injury. Implementing strategies such as warming up, using wrist wraps and stretching will protect you from injury. Another important injury prevention strategy is looking at your lifting technique. If your wrists are continually hyper flexed or hyper extended then it is only a matter of time until you suffer an injury.

Author: Matt D'Aquino
http://www.workoutsforjudo.com/

Matt is the founder of Beyond Grappling fitness and conditioning. He is a 2008 Beijing Judo Olympian as well as nationally ranked freestyle wrestler and National Champion in Brazilian Jujitsu. Matt has a passion for teaching all aspects of grappling especially the fitness and conditioning aspect. Recently he has been traveling the world aiming to qualify for his second Olympic Games.

To learn more about Matt and his fitness and conditioning training visit http://www.workoutsforjudo.com/.

Original article

Riding The Bench Isn't Always a Bad Thing

Trying to find ways to improve your bench press can be challenging. There is just as much misinformation and faulty data in the diet and exercise field as there is on used car lots.

Everybody seems to have some trick or short cut to improving your physique, and those who want a quick solution to a complicated problem can get sucked in by hucksters and get-rich-quick schemers. But there are some simple methods you can use every time you hit the gym that will generate the results you seek.

Sometimes, Less Is More

When I first started training, my friends and I tried to kill ourselves. It only stood to reason that if we worked out for an hour and saw results that we would see even MORE results by working out for 3 hours, six days a week.

Nope.

In fact, we were over trained and we quickly plateaued, thus negating all our hard work and returning us to square one rapidly. For natural bodybuilders, 25 sets per body part twice a week is just too much. Not only will you get there slower because of stagnation, but you will also start to hate your training if it's wearing you out.

Studies have shown that steadier workouts with modest daily demands are more effective and long-lasting and better tuned to the modern gym rat than the pure punishment methods of the past. You should actually cut back on your training frequency and volume if you want to see results. Allowing muscles to repair themselves, after all, is the way to build them, because the repair process is what creates mass and strength.

I cut back my bench press training to once a week and cut my sets in half on the advice of a friend. I was skeptical at first, but in a couple of months the results I saw were undeniable. Plus, I felt better and put on size that made me happy.

Nutrition and Rest Are Key

Beginners usually start out thinking that training hard - fast - is what is going to get them to the promised land in short order. However, if you're not as focused on diet as well as exercise, you will just be spinning your wheels. Muscles cannot grow without fuel, and a solid nutritional and supplemental program is absolutely necessary.

You do not necessarily need supplements - in the event you cannot afford them - but your diet program must be clean and devoid of garbage eating. You have to be consistent.

Also, 7-8 hours of sleep a night is necessary. Sleep is the body's way of recovering from the day's labors, and weight training is no different. Your body will build while it's repairing itself, and you will see results faster and you will be fresher to get back in the gym the next day if you are well rested from the day before.

Three Easy Steps

Weight training can be boiled down to 3 steps. 1. Training - where we stimulate the muscle and break it down; 2. Nutrition - where we give our bodies the fuel they need to repair and become bigger and stronger; and 3. Rest - where your muscles repair and grow. Doesn't seem like much, but that basic plan works every time it's tried.

Switch Things Up

One final note: You might love a particular style of workout for your bench press routine. But even if that's true, you need to get out of your comfort zone. Change things up from time to time. The human body is an amazing machine and adapts to the stress we put it under in remarkable ways. Conversely, if you do the same things over and over, you will continue to see similar results.

While some trainers advocate changing your routine every 4 weeks, I think 6 is more effective and gives you more time on the muscle groups you're working out. But do not go 6 months to a year doing the same old thing. Muscle has memory, and some of the memories can be bad ones. Nothing gets you stronger... faster... than the stimulation of new growth in all your targeted areas.

So taking your strength training to the next level isn't as challenging as you might think. It takes 3 uncomplicated steps to build yourself into an eye-popping machine. Follow these steps with a sense of discipline and determination and you will see results. Guaranteed.

If you want to know how to increase your bench press, check out my site where you'll find a great bench press workout, along with other information to get you moving in the right direction.

Original article

Tips For Improving Bench Press Strength That Will Let You Bench The Kind Of Weight Others Dream Of

The bench press is by far the most popular exercise in the gym and the standard by which many judge their own strength and the strength of others. It is also one the exercises that can be hard to excel at and plateaus at certain weights are hard to break through. The article below is going to go over a few points that will help get stronger at bench pressing

Eat Right To Grow and Get Stronger

All the lifting in the world is not going to give you any gains in strength or muscle if you are not feeding your body with the nutrients it needs to build new muscle tissue. This means that you must eat at least 1 1/2 grams of protein for every pound of body weight you have. You must also eat 1-2 grams of complex carbohydrates per pound of body weight as well. Keep in mind these amounts are just starting points and your body may need more or less so adjust them to fit your needs.

Rest Well Between Your Workouts

Most people do not realize this but the muscle growth actually occurs after you are done with your workouts and your body begins to recover not during the lifting periods. During these periods of growth your body will repair the damage you did while lifting the weights so make sure to sleep at least 7-8 hours every night and take a day off after 2 days of working out. To jump start your recovery when you are done with your workouts make sure you eat a protein filled snack!

Start Strengthening Your Supporting Muscles

The bench press involves more than just your chest muscles, your front deltoids, triceps are directly involved as well and almost every other upper body muscle you have is helping to stabilize and balance the weight. So make sure that you are working to get stronger shoulders and triceps as these will help you push heavier weights. But when going for more strength in the triceps and shoulders make sure you use compound movements that will let you move heavier weights as opposed to isolating shaping exercises.

Good Exercises To Build Shoulder Strength

Front Barbell PressSeated Dumbbell PressUpright Rows

Exercises To Build Strong Tricep Muscles

DipsClose Grip Bench PressesEz Bar Extensions

Use Varying Rep Ranges To Shock your Body

The biggest mistake that most guys make when trying to get stronger bench pressing is they only lift heavy weights and never venture into the higher rep range. While it is true the heavier weights will develop strength faster you muscles have fibers that only respond to higher rep training and not stimulating them is costing you both size and strength. I like to switch off to higher reps every few workout sessions just to keep things growing and keep my body confused!

You Also Need The Right Bench Press Routine To Follow

Once you have your diet and rest habits developed a good Bench Press Program that is custom tailored to you will give you that final edge you need to push the really heavy weight! One such program is called Critical Bench 2.0 and a full review can be found on my blog at http://www.getmusclemassfast.com/

Original article